Animal Doctor: Boric acid a safe way to eliminate fleas

DR. MICHAEL FOX, United Feature Syndicate

Published 5:30 am, Saturday, August 5, 2006

Dear Dr. Fox:

What is your opinion on using boric acid to eradicate fleas? My father applied boric acid to carpets, pet bedding and fabric furniture, let it set for several hours, and then vacuumed. The fleas were never again a problem. The boric acid wasn't applied to the dog, just his surroundings. This was a onetime treatment that has lasted for many years and followed years of treatment using other "prescribed" methods of various insecticides and extermination.

J.A., St. Paul, Minn.

Dear J.A.:

It's good to have your confirmation of the effectiveness of this safe method of flea control. Since animals pick up fleas when outdoors, repeated, weekly indoor sprinkling with boric acid is often necessary during the flea season, and all year long in warmer states.

Don't put it directly on the dog. Use a flea comb to check and catch any fleas. The borax works well as a carpet, upholstery and floor flea-killer. Sprinkle it around, let it sit overnight and vacuum it up the next day, as your father did.

She persists in eating poop, no matter whether she has been fed recently or not. She eats her own and the poop of other dogs. She seems obsessed with it. She can't stay away from it in the yard and on walks. She was abandoned as a puppy and was found living on the street. I've assumed she learned to eat poop to survive and became conditioned to view it as food.

I'm a psychologist and have tried all I can think of to alter this behavior, obviously without success.

You recently said that this sort of behavior may actually be caused by a nutrient deficiency. The more I think about it, the more it seems to fit with Satchi's behavior. Can you refer me to anything you've written about this problem? Would using your canine nutritional supplement be the next step?

I support your bioethical approach, even though I'm sure you get flak for it.

D.S., Minneapolis, Minn.

Dear D.S.:

Try giving your dog plain yogurt ( 1/2 cup with live, nonpasteurized culture, every other day) and acidophilus pills according to the package's directions for two weeks. Also give the dog Brewer's yeast (1 teaspoon daily in her food), a digestive-enzyme pill containing papain, one human multivitamin/mineral capsule daily (it must contain zinc) and 1 teaspoon each of powdered kelp/seaweed and flaxseed oil for six to eight weeks. The homemade dog-food recipe on my Web site (www.doctor
mwfox.org) may also help.

Muzzle the dog when outside to prevent coprophagia (feces eating). Be cautious in hot weather when the dog needs to pant. After a few days, try aversive training by taking the muzzle off in the yard after you have covered some feces with hot chili pepper or jalapeño-pepper juice.

This is a common problem in dogs with psychological and physical problems. The supplement approach, gleaned from the positive results from other readers of my column, may help. It certainly will not cause any harm and should improve your dog's overall condition.